Combined hay and stock rack.



l Unirrnn StartsV PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. RAFSON AND HERBERTJ. FURNESS, OF FILION, MICHIGAN.

COMBINED HAY AND sToCK RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,357, datedd'uly 24, 19,009i 1 Applicationlled April 16 '1900.1

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS A. RAPSON- and HERBERT J. FURNESS, citizens of the United States, and residents of Filion, in the county of Huron and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Combined Hayv around the body to forma stockrack or in-` closure.

Another purpose of the invention isto so apply the attachment `that it willv be thoroughly braced and most of the weight will be sustained by the cross-sills of the wagon'- bOdy.

Theyinvention consistsin the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafterfullyset forth, and

- pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the attachment applied to awagon-body, the parts of the attachment being so connected as to form a stock-rack for the vehicle-body. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a vehicle-body, illustrating the ,application of the attachment thereto, parts of the attachment being swung outward to form a hay-rack for the vehicle-pf Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section body. through one portion of the attachment and through one side and a part of the bottom of the Vehicle-body; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the outer face ot' a side of the vehicle-body, one of the cross-sills be-4 in g shown in transverse section, the section being on the line v4 4 of Fig. 3, parts being removed.

A represents a wagon-body provided with cross-sills 10, secured to its under surface and extending beyond its sides. The cross-sills close to the sides of the body are provided sel-in No. 13.082. dit man.)

with Vvertical apertures l1, (shown in Fig: 4,) and above these apertures recesses 12 are provided in the sides of the body A and metal plates 13 cross the upper portions of the recesses 12, the plates being firmly attached to lthe sides of the wagon-body, as is also shown in Fig. 4.

Straps 14, constituting sockets, are secured in any suitable or approved manner to the front and the rear sections of the wagon-body at or near the end portions of their outer faces, as shown in Fig. 2. The attachment consists of side sections B and end sections C, which'latter sections may be termed front and rear. sections, since they are to beap- `plied to such portions of the. vehiclebody. Y The side sections B 'comprise a series of beams 15, upon which beams boards or strips 16 are secured, 'extending across all of the beams 15,

and the'strips 16 arev usuallyv applied to the upper faces of the beams. The beams 15 are shaped insuch manner and are so spaced that they will extend vfrom one end of` the wagon-body to the other either at an angle to the body or in a position perpendicular thereto, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Each beam l5, with the exception of an end beam to be hereinafter particularly mentioned, is pivotally attached, usually by straps 17, to an upright 18, and these uprights are adapted to occupy a vertical position and engage with the outer faces of the sides of the wagon-body.` The lower ends. of the uprights 18 enter the openings 11, produced in the outer ends of the cross-sills 10 of the vehicle-body, as'shownin Fig. 3. Each upright 18 is provided with a hook or clamp'19 at the top adapted to extend over and engage with the upper edge portion of a side of the rvehicle-body, as shown in.

the wagonfbod'ythe heels of the braces20 rest.

upon the outerend portions of the cross-sills 10 and the links 21 enter the recesses 12 in the sides of the wagon-body and engage at their upper inner surfaces with the lower IOO edge's of the plates l13. Thus it willfbe observed that the braces and the links act together to thoroughly support the side sections B in their inclined positions and that all of the weight carried by these side sections is sustained by the cross-sills of the vehiclebody.

One end beam has been mentioned as being connected to the wagon-body in a different manner than the others. This connection is effected as shown in Fig. 1, in which links 23 connect these special end beams with blocks 24, and these blocks are made to enter sockets 25, which are formed upon the outer faces of the side pieces of the vehicle-body near the ends thereof. This particular form of attachment is adapted for these particular t end beams, as at one end of the wagon-body the cross-sills 10 are omitted. The end sections C are not ad justably attached to the end portions of the vehicle-body, but are removably secured thereto, and these end sections C consist of standards 26 and cross-bars 27 in any desired number, and the front end section is usually provided with a central pole 28, having an upper cross-bar 29, which pole is especially useful w-hen the vehicle-body and its attachment is to be loaded with hay. The rear end section is alike in construction to the forward end section with the exception of the central p'ole, which is usually omitted, and the standards 26 of the end sections of the attachment are made to enter the sockets 14 at the end portions of the wagon-body, as shown in Fig. l.

When the attachment is used to inclose the wagon-body and constitute an upper extension therefor, so that said body may be used to convey stock from place to place, the side sections B of the attachment are carried to a perpendicular position, (shown in Fig. 1,) engaging with the end sections C, and the side and end sections are tied together through the medium of hooks 30, located on the end sections, entering staples 31, carried by the side sections, or equivalent devices may be employed, and usually chains 32 are attached to the upper portion of the end sections and to the side sections, the chains assisting in limiting the downward movement of the end It is obvious that the attachment may be` readily applied and may be quickly removed and that it is simple, durable, and economic and well adapted for the purpose intended.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a vehicle-body having recesses in the outer faces of its side portions, of side racks arranged to extend perpendicularly or at an angle relatively to the body, braces pivoted to the racks, and links pivoted to the racks and to a part supported by the body and adapted to engage their ends in said recesses, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a vehicle-body, the cross-sills whereof are provided with openings at their outer end portions, the outer faces of the side portions of the bodyvhaving recesses therein above said openings, of side racks consisting of a series of beams arranged to extend either perpendicularly at the sides of the wagon-body or outward at an angle thereto, strips attached to the said beams, uprights arranged to enter the openings in the cross-sills, to which uprights are pivotally attached the inner ends of the said beams, clamps carried by the uprights, arranged for engagement with the upper edges of tbe sides of the wagon-body, braces pivotally attached to the beams of the rack, extending downwardly therefrom and adapted in one position of the rack to have bearing at their lower ends on the cross-sills of the vehicle-body, and links pivotally connecting the braces with the uprights, the links being of such length that they may extend beyond the uprights and enter the recesses in the sides of the wagon-body, as specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS A. RAPSON. HERBERT J. FURNESS. Witnesses:

H. D. HoR'roN, LoTTIE J. HonToN. 

